Special Green Room in a Box: A Room for Ja’Naya

Today’s Green Room in a Box is part of a special project that is really near and dear to me. My family has been through a lot in the last several months since my daughter’s diagnosis, but none of us have been through more than Ja’Naya herself. She is doing really well with her treatment and handling it like a trooper, but my husband and I wanted to do something special for her to help ease the transition. Next week, my family is moving to be closer to her doctors, and we decided to completely redecorate her room (in eco-friendly fashion, of course) so she’ll have a special place to play and relax, especially after long days at the clinic.

I reached out to several sponsors, who were more than happy to help us do this makeover by donating product. All those sponsors are designated below as “In-Kind Sponsors” (meaning they donated product to the project).

Inspiration Room

The image above was my inspiration for the room. It has been in my inspiration folder on my computer for a while, and for the life of me, I can’t remember where I got it, but I’ve always loved this room! If anyone recognizes it, please let me know so I can link back to the original site. We don’t plan to paint (although that could change), so I love the fact that this room is vibrant and happy even with white walls. I also loved the uber-organized storage system surrounding the bed, complete with a comfy-looking bench. Though we chose a completely different color scheme, we hope to accomplish a similar look. And here’s the products we’ll use to do it:

1. Large Green Capiz Cylinder Wind Chime from Celery Street | In-Kind Sponsor | $52 | Handmade of capiz shells | I plan on using a very simple technique to turn this wind chime into a show-stopping “chandelier,” and I’ll publish a tutorial showing you how to do it too.

2. Beautiful As I Am Print | $15 | Technically this didn’t cost my anything since I designed and printed it myself, BUT I do plan on selling it in my new Etsy shop 🙂 More on that soon!

3. Self Love Poster from I Love My Hair | $30 | Handmade | This poster spoke to me the very second I found it, and I didn’t even hesitate before purchasing it. Click the link to see the full image, but it says “I went natural for me and my daughter. I wanted to be an example of self-love.” I wrote about my journey to natural hair a few times over at Green &Gorgeous, and given that the chemo still could make my daughter lose her hair (although it thankfully hasn’t thus far), this poster really has special meaning for us.

4. Curtains made of Let It Grow organic fabric from Harmony Art | In-Kind Sponsor | $18.84-23.55/yard | I’ve had my eye on the fabrics by Harmony Art for a long while, and I’m SO happy I finally got the chance to incorporate them into a project! The curtains and bench cushion cover will both be made of Harmony organic fabrics. No-sew curtain-making tutorial to come!

5. Dresser from local antique mall | $50 | We bought and refurbished a small dresser to use as a TV stand. Details coming soon!

6. Wallter Starburst Wall Application | In-Kind Sponsor | $142 | For weeks, I had been scouring thrift stores, yard sales and Craigslist in hopes of finding a mirror to paint pink. When that turned up nothing I liked, bought a cheap mirror from TJ Maxx and painted it, only have it completely fall apart the next day (no joke). Then I remembered this wood-based peel-and-stick starburst that I found via the Friday Room Reveal from reader and photographer Kelli Taylor. It is made in the US., and it is absolutely gorgeous! I’m not sure what the wood is made of, but I definitely prefer products made in the U.S. to ones made overseas. Besides, I plan to paint it with low-VOC paint.

7. Recycled Metal Letter Hooks from Urban Outfitters | $3.99/ea. | Made of recycled tin cans | If there’s one thing I’ve learned as the little one has grown, it’s that organization is essential. These small but functional hooks will give her a place to hang her coat, backpack and even her guitar when she’s not using them.

8. Upholstered Tufted Headboard | About $150 total | I made this baby last weekend, and I’ll share all the details in a tutorial post soon!

9. Handmade Lampshade by HomeSweet | In-Kind Sponsor | $65 | This shade goes perfect with the thrift-store lamp I updated for Ja’Naya last year, and it is block-printed by hand on a hemp/organic cotton blend fabric. And if you’ll notice the brown pillow on top of the bench to the left of the bed, that was also made by Home Sweet.

10. Organic pillows and tote bag by Humble Collection | In-Kind Sponsor | $10-28/ea. | I fell in with these hand-printed organic pillows when I featured them last year, and I’ll be using several of them in Ja’Naya’s room, including a tote bag I plan to turn into a pillow.

11. Storage system from Way Basics | In-Kind Sponsor | There are few products as innovative and affordable as Way Basics, and after seeing how well my Cube2 has held up after more than a year, I knew I wanted to create a storage system using their products. If you take a look at the inspiration photo above, I plan to create a similar system with storage on either side of the bed and a bench in the corner, all using WayBasics products. I worked with them directly to create a custom system that would work for my measurements.

12. Laguna BlanQuette from Yumi & Laurie (review) | $78 | This blanQuette, made of organic cotton and bamboo, will be perfect spread across the chocolate brown duvet cover we already own. And if you’d like the chance to win one, I’m currently giving away three of them!

13. Letter Lines wool rug from Merida Home | In-Kind Sponsor | $699.90 | I’ve always loved the idea of putting area rugs on top of wall-to-wall carpet to make a room really pop. This gorgeous, U.S.-made wool rug from Merida Home is going to make quite a statement in this room! (aff)

Note: If a product shown in the photo is not mentioned above, it means we already own it (like the LOVE poster and bedding).

A part of me can’t help but feel like something is missing. I still need to find natural storage baskets that will live inside the Way Basics cubes and other kid-friendly accessories, but I feel like it’s something else. Readers, what do you think of the room thus far, and is there anything you would add? I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments below!

Stancie, I’d venture to say that great minds think alike 🙂 I’ve actually been considering those sheets, but they no longer have the pink for a twin 🙁 I’m also considering these Amy Butler sheets: http://tinyurl.com/modenasheets

And believe it or not, I had exactly that pillow in the original room and changed my mind. Now you’re making me consider it again 🙂 And a table is a great idea! Since we’ll be home-schooling her for a while, we’ll probably put it in the living room rather than her room, but a workspace in her room isn’t a bad idea at all. Thanks!

We are so thrilled that you’ve included the Merida Home Letter Lines kids rug in your fantastic room for Ja’Naya! I love how you’ve tied everything together to form a unique, girly vintage chic look that she can enjoy for years to come. I can’t wait for the reveal and to hear what Ja’Naya thinks of her new space. I have no doubt she will love it!

Love the design – the colors are great!! I also read your story about your beautiful daughter. My niece has ovarian/mesothelioma since she was 3 now she is 5 – she is a survivor with a wonderful spirit just like your daughter.

What a wonderful room!!! How awesome you are to create this for your special little daughter!!
I am not sure if you need a paint source for No VOC paints for your projects or not….but thought I would share this company with you that I had found….http://www.earthsafefinishes.com

I am always on the look out for NoVOC products that do not compromise one’s immune system. Also have heard good reports on the AFM Safecoat paint from other chemically injured folks like myself.

Have fun decorating!!! Makes me smile to think how happy your daughter will be with her new room !!! And KUDOS to you for being such a loving parent!!! 🙂

What an awesome room! She is going to love this. You did a great job with the headboard. Congratulations on that. This is going to help keep her cheered up. Also so glad to hear she is doing well with the treatments. Wonderful!

your inspiration room has some wall stickies or something on it, it makes me thing maybe you need something other than the framed art on the walls. Wasn’t it on this site that I found the inspiration for my wall mural? This is what I ended up with:

I have been thinking a lot about what to do with the walls. We have a lot of the pink paint left from the dresser project, so we may paint one accent wall behind the bed, but we’re still debating that. Otherwise, I think I have a couple of other ideas up my sleeve 🙂 Thanks for your input!

i love this green rooms in a box section you have. i currently still live at home but once i move, i would love to try and make my room as comfortable and eco-friendly as possible and i just love these blocks of ideas you put together. i’ve been trying to gather several different eco decorating tips so that i have a wide range of ideas to play around with. maybe look for the picture of my bedroom so you can send me some of your ideas. but i need to find my own place first.

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Hey, There!

I’m Jennae Petersen, and I’m a lot of things. A wife, a mother, a graphic designer and a connosieur of beautiful things. Green Your Decor was borne of my frustration with finding beautiful things that were also eco-friendly, and inspiration to reduce my own carbon footprint and help others do the same. LEARN MORE